William Arthur Hills died on March 12th, 1918, at the age of 71 years.
He was born at Woodside, near Croydon, and at the age of 18, after passing the A.A. Local Oxford examination, he joined his father who was engaged in the erection of sulphuric acid works. In a few years’ time this plant was converted into a large alkali works, of which he superintended the erection and had the management for six or seven years. This plant also produced oxide oi wen, gas-purifying material and artificial fertilizers. Eventually the works had to be closed down in consequence of the pollution caused to the neighbouring canal, and Mr. W.A. Hills joined his uncle and cousin, Messrs. Henry Hills and Son, in the erection of copper works at Low Walker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The works were entirely built under the joint management of the two cousins, and experimental work on a basis of 400 tons per week was carried on for an improved process of wet extraction of copper from burnt ore. After nearly three years of this work, Mr. Hills started his own sulphuric acid works near Chester, where during the next six or seven years he erected a sulphate of copper plant (including the extraction of gold and silver from metallic copper), a sulphate of zinc plant, and an experimental plant for the electro-deposition of copper and extraction of gold and silver. He was during that period also director of a zinc-smelting works, and had the general management of a copper and lead and an iron ore mine, in Wales.
On the expiration of the lease, the land on which his works at Chester were situated was required by the G.W.R. Co., and Mr. Hills went to Australia, where for eight years he was engaged in an examination of mines and the treatment of ores, principally gold, silver, copper and tin. He was director of several of the mines and took an active part in their management. He travelled during that period over a great portion of New South Wales and New Zealand. The Government of New South Wales gave him a free railway pass, and in return received from him much valuable information and reports on various localities. He was selected by the Central Broken Hill Mining Co. to go to Launceston Exhibition to conduct experiments and report on the suitability of the Clarkson-Standfield dry concentrator for treating their sulphide ores. He reached the same conclusions with regard to the treatment of those ores as was later recommended by Professor Schnabel, and patented a process, also others for the treatment of cobalt ores, and the manufacture of salt from sea water.
About 1895 Mr. Hills returned to England and engaged in a consulting practice in the City. He was considerably interested in the Welsh gold mines in addition to carrying on work connected with mining and metallurgy and the principal processes and plants employed in the treatment of metallic ores.
Mr. Hills was elected a Member of the Institution in 1895.
Vol. 29, Trans IMM 1919-1920, pp.426-7
